Electronic Publications

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what consideration has been given to publishing electronic versions of Bill amendment papers in PDF format.

Nick Harvey: Material is placed on the parliamentary website primarily in HTML format, which is the preferred format for the web. PDF versions of documents are made available on the parliamentary website when it has not been possible or cost-effective to produce HTML versions; or in addition to HTML versions in response to particular and substantial demand and after consideration of any cost implications of doing so.
	Bill amendment papers are currently available in HTML format and to date there has been no substantial demand for PDF versions.

Roads: Accidents

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many recorded deaths from road traffic accidents there have been in Wales in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: While any road deaths are regrettable the number of fatalities in 2007, at 161 is 25 per cent. lower than the 1994-98 average of 213.
	A table showing the last five years data is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of recorded road deaths in Wales 2003-07 
			   Fatalities 
			 2003 173 
			 2004 201 
			 2005 180 
			 2006 163 
			 2007 161

Olympic Games 2012: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps the Government plan to take to encourage children and young people in the West Midlands to participate in events that are part of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic games and Paralympic games (LOCOG) are working to ensure that the benefits of 2012 reach across the UK and have established a Nations and Regions Group (NRG) to oversee this work. Further details about the NRG can be found at
	http://www.london2012.com/about/the-people-delivering-the-games/the-nations-and-regions-group/index.php
	The West Midlands Leadership Group for the 2012 games is represented on the Nations and Regions Group and leads the work of the region in delivering legacy benefits across sport, culture, volunteering, business and tourism. The Group is committed to encouraging young people to participate and since pre-bid has included among its members a representative from their Youth Parliament. (The NRG co-ordinator for the West Midlands is Tim Bryan, who can be contacted at Culture West Midlands, The Regional Partnership Centre, Albert House, Quay Place, Edward St., Birmingham B1 2RA).
	In the West Midlands, schools have already started using material from LOCOG's London 2012 education programme, which all schools, colleges and local authorities will have the opportunity to participate in. 20 primary schools from Stoke on Trent prepared flags, mascots and banners for an opening ceremony festival, and children from the region competed in a series of sporting and cultural events at Stafford Sports college.
	35 cultural events will be taking place in the West Midlands over the Handover and Cultural Olympiad launch weekends in September. In addition, the West Midlands Legacy Trust has also developed a programme of dance and community events aimed at young people who will develop new skills by staging and taking part in their own community-based games. Young people from the West Midlands will also have the opportunity to be among the 70,000 volunteers needed to help run the games in London.

Departmental Pay

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Department operates two types of bonus scheme—special bonus (to reward staff for additional contribution, e.g. innovation and improvement, project work), and end of year bonus (to reward staff for performance and delivery throughout the year).
	Figures for the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Special bonuses  
			 Number of staff 779 575 713 685 891 
			 Proportion 44.5 31.6 37.3 32.9 42.9 
			 Total amount (£) 98,705 112,150 153,443 151,558 174,882 
			 Largest payment (£) 600 600 750 1,000 1,100 
			   
			  End of year bonuses  
			 Number of staff 30 1,670 1,731 292 324 
			 Proportion 1.7 91.9 90.7 14.0 15.6 
			 Total amount (£) 132,300 362,930 476,299 502,667 557,000 
			 Largest payment (£) 10,400 10,080 12,000 11,000 20,000 
		
	
	The Northern Ireland Office pays end year bonuses for SCS staff in accordance with the Cabinet Office framework. In respect of 2002-03, only SCS staff received non- consolidated bonuses. Grade A and below received fully consolidated rises in this year. The Department established an end year non-consolidated bonus scheme for Grade A and below in the 2003-04 reporting year, rewarding three levels of performance. From the 2005-06 reporting year this scheme was amended and is now targeted at exceptional performance. The figures relate to the reporting year but bonuses are paid in the following financial year.
	In a previous answer given to the hon. Gentleman on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, column 2050W, in respect of the number of bonuses paid and the value of the bonus pot in 2005-06, the number of individuals who received a bonus is lower (staff may receive more than one bonus in a year). The bonus pot in 2005-06 was not fully utilised so the figures have been amended accordingly.
	For clarity, the special bonus figures and end year bonuses have been separated.

Departmental ICT

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many staff have access to the Government Equality Office's IT infrastructure at their home.

Barbara Follett: As befits its policy agenda, the Government Equalities Office is keen to ensure that its staff can adopt flexible working patterns, providing business needs are met. Some 90 staff work in the GEO and its Ministers' Private Offices. All staff are in theory, able to work from home and any request to do so is subject to agreement with managers on a case-by-case basis and subject to the availability of a limited number of laptops. In practice 25 staff have been taking occasional advantage of this opportunity, usually for a day at a time. Staff use encrypted laptops when working from home and typically access the IT infrastructure by a broadband connection. Six staff in GEO have Blackberries and can use these for e-mail when they are at home.

Nuclear Power Stations

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which nuclear power stations have been  (a) out of commission and  (b) stopped for repairs since January 2007.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not publish data on the operational status of individual nuclear stations. Data on recent historic nuclear generation unavailability is published in the "National Grid Winter Consultation Report" which is available at:
	http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlvres/4B475A5CD41A4039908930B282276577/26306/WinterOutlookConsultationReportJune2.pdf

Aircraft

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most commonly used model of aircraft for domestic flight routes in the UK is.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The most commonly used model of aircraft for domestic flight routes in the UK in 2007 was Airbus A319.

Aviation: Luggage

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 564-65W, on aviation: luggage, which airports have received permission to relax the one bag rule.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The airports which have received permission to lift the restriction are Aberdeen, Belfast International, Benbecula, Biggin Hill, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Blackpool, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, City of Derry, Coventry, Dundee, Durham Tees Valley ,East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Farnborough, Filton, Gatwick, George Best Belfast City, Glasgow, Gloucestershire, Guernsey, Hawarden, Heathrow, Humberside, Inverness, Islay, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kent International, Kirkwall, Leeds Bradford, London City, Manchester, Newcastle, Newquay Cornwall, Norwich, Plymouth, Prestwick, Robin Hood, Southampton, Southend, Stansted, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree, Warton and Wick.

Heathrow Airport: Security

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 791W, to the hon. Member for Chipping Barnet, on Heathrow airport: security, how many times her Department has conducted  (a) announced and  (b) unannounced security inspections and audits (i) prior to and (ii) since the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5; and what the date was of each inspection and audit.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department monitors the level of compliance through its programme of regular inspections and audits. This activity is predominantly unannounced and inspectors seek corrective action from industry where appropriate. We worked closely with Heathrow airport in the lead up to the opening of T5, and have undertaken regular monitoring activity since passenger flights commenced. However, it would not be appropriate to discuss the details of this activity.

Schengen Agreement: ICT

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the UK's participation in the Schangen SISNET system is.

Meg Hillier: SISNet is the established communication infrastructure for the Schengen Information System (SIS), enabling communication between the member states and the central system (C-SIS). Although the UK is not connected to the current SIS, we have established access to SISNet, which provides the technical capacity to receive communication from other member states.

Vetting: Fees and Charges

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether payments are required for each Criminal Records Bureau check on an individual seeking to perform one or more roles during the same time period within the same geographical area;
	(2)  for what reasons the results of Criminal Records Bureau searches on individuals are not transferable between organisations in circumstances where the individual concerned has given consent.

Meg Hillier: Disclosures are primarily designed to be used by an employer at the point of recruitment for a particular position. Ultimately it is for each employer, and not the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), to decide whether a new disclosure should be applied for, bearing in mind their legal and other responsibilities and subject to any statutory requirements.
	There are a number of reasons why an employer may not wish to accept a disclosure that has been processed for a previous employment position, including:
	The disclosure may not be at the right level (there are two different levels of CRB check; standard and enhanced);
	The older a disclosure is the less reliant the information is, because the information it contains may not be up to date;
	Information revealed through a CRB check reflects the information that was available at the time of its issue—a person may have committed a crime in the intervening period;
	The disclosure process may also include a search to establish whether an individual is subject to a direction under section 142 of the Education Act 2002, or a check against the Protection of Children Act and Protection of Vulnerable Adults PoCA and PoVA) lists.
	Each disclosure is specific to the circumstances of a particular job application and any decision to disclose any non-conviction information held by individual police forces is unique to that position.
	Payment is required for each CRB check, regardless of whether an individual has had a previous disclosure. The CRB charges £31.00 for a standard disclosure and £36.00 for an enhanced disclosure. The CRB continues to process disclosure applications for volunteers free of charge.
	All applications are processed individually and the fee was last prescribed in 2006. This is in accordance with part V of the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002 which states that a disclosure shall be issued to any individual who makes an application in the prescribed format and pays the prescribed fee.

Afghanistan: Drugs

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the volume of opium produced in Afghanistan in each of the last five years; and what proportion is estimated to have been produced in Helmand province in each such year.

Kim Howells: holding answer 15 July 2008
	The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts annual surveys of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. In the North and East of Afghanistan, where security, alternative livelihoods and governance are improving, poppy cultivation fell in 2007. The number of provinces free from poppy doubled from six to 13. In 2008, the Government of Afghanistan's target is for over half of all provinces to become poppy-free. While we remain concerned by sustained opium production figures in the insecure South, we welcome the UNODC's prediction that overall poppy cultivation will decrease slightly in 2008. We continue to work with the Afghan Government, donors and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to sustain success in the North and East and to target operations against the drugs trade in the South.
	The data as follows is drawn from the UNODC surveys.
	
		
			Potential volume of opium produced in Helmand province in the last five years 
			   Potential volume of opium produced in Afghanistan in the last five years (Tonnes)  Tonnes  Percentage 
			 2007 8,200 4,399 54 
			 2006 6,100 2,801 46 
			 2005 4,100 1,004 24 
			 2004 4,200 840 20 
			 2003 3,600 684 19

Raoul Wallenberg

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will request the Russian authorities to publish their records relating to Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make representations to the government of Russia on the case of Raoul Wallenberg; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on what occasions the Prime Minister or his predecessors have raised the case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg with the government of  (a) Russia and  (b) the former Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Government have no plans to request the Russian authorities to publish any records relating to Swedish citizen Mr. Raoul Wallenberg or to make any representations to the Russian government on this case. The case of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg is a matter for the Swedish government.
	We have no records to suggest that discussions between the Government and the Soviet or Russian governments relating to Mr. Raoul Wallenberg took place before or after 1991.

Zimbabwe: Females

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals the Government has put forward to seek to strengthen women's rights in Zimbabwe and their involvement in the political process.

Meg Munn: The Government continue to support the rights of women in Zimbabwe as part of the political process. We are pressing for a free, fair and transparent democratic process in Zimbabwe which meets international standards as well as the standards of the South African Development Community (SADC).
	Our embassy in Harare has provided support to women's empowerment groups and the Department for International Development is also working closely with the UN, other donors and women's groups to support women's rights.
	We will, with the EU and other international partners, support the African Union, SADC and the UN in encouraging a new government in Zimbabwe which permits full and equal humanitarian access and shows commitment to macroeconomic stabilisation, the rule of law, human rights and a democratic process which ensures the full involvement of women.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many householders have been issued with fixed penalties for putting household waste out for collection at a time other than that specified by a local authority waste collection service in the latest period for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: My Department collates the number of fixed penalty notices for offences relating to 'waste receptacles', but the information cannot be disaggregated in the way requested. Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for offences in relation to waste receptacles (Section 47ZA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990) is available on the DEFRA website.

Floods: Insurance

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with insurers on areas adversely affected by the 2007 floods.

Phil Woolas: Ministerial colleagues and I have held several meetings with the Association of British Insurers and their members since the flooding last summer. At our most recent meeting on 10 July the insurers reported that, of their customers, they expected less than 300 households would still be out of their homes by the end of July. At this meeting we also finalised an agreement to ensure that flood insurance remains widely available now and in the long term. I have placed a copy of the joint statement and supporting documents in the Libraries of the House.

Landfill: Contamination

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many landfill sites have been investigated as a result of suspected contamination with chemical waste by Monsanto.

Phil Woolas: The Environment Agency grants landfill permits subject to conditions authorising the types and quantities of waste that may be received. The permits do not normally authorise individual and specific sources of waste. The Environment Agency is therefore not able to state categorically which of 1,500-plus permitted operational and closed landfill sites in England and Wales have received waste from Monsanto.
	The lead regulatory authorities for contaminated land in England and Wales under part 2A of Environmental Protection Act are local authorities. Local authorities inspect their areas for the presence of contaminated land, including former landfills, under part 2A. DEFRA does not hold data on how many former landfills have been subject to local authority inspection to date or particular companies that may have been involved.
	Under the part 2A regime, the Environment Agency undertakes the inspection of a specific subset of sites known as 'special sites' on behalf of the local authorities. The Environment Agency has so far been involved with the investigation of over 30 former landfill sites. This includes Brofiscin in South Wales, where it is alleged Monsanto historically disposed of hazardous chemical waste.

Manure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received on the effects on horticulture of Aminopyralid in manure;
	(2)  how many incidents the Pesticides Safety Directorate has recorded regarding manure contaminated by aminopyralid in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The first inquiry relating to the potential effects of aminopyralid in manure was received by the Pesticides Safety Directorate's helpline on 12 March 2008. Around 70 inquiries had been received up to 9 July 2008, primarily from amateur gardeners and allotment holders. It is not known how many reports of damage to crops are attributable to aminopyralid.

Manure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effects on agricultural production of the use of manure containing Aminopyralid;
	(2)  what guidelines his Department has issued on the use of manure containing Aminopyralid; and how and to whom such guidance has been disseminated.

Phil Woolas: Aminopyralid has been granted provisional authorisation for use as a herbicide on grassland, following an evaluation of relevant data by the Pesticides Safety Directorate. These data indicated that aminopyralid may remain in plant material from treated land and pass into the manure of livestock which eat such material. Susceptible crops may be adversely affected by the residues in the plant material.
	Labels of products which contain aminopyralid therefore include warnings not to use manure from livestock which have eaten grass from treated land, or fodder derived from such grass, on susceptible crops or on land intended for growing such crops, until all plant material has fully decomposed. As with all plant protection products, users should always read and follow the label instructions; this is a statutory requirement. Some cases of damage to susceptible crops appear to have arisen because the label precautions on the use of manure may not always have been followed when manure has been supplied to allotment holders and gardeners.

Manure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the risk to  (a) human and  (b) animal health of consuming vegetables grown in manure which contains Aminopyralid.

Phil Woolas: Aminopyralid is a herbicide designed for selective broad-leaved weed control in grassland. It is of low toxicity to mammals. Damage to vegetables from aminopyralid residues in manure has arisen in part because the substance can persist in grass, hay or silage, and passes through the mammalian digestive system largely unaffected into the resultant manure, rather than being broken down.
	The Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD) authorised the use of aminopyralid on grassland on the basis of data which showed that there would be no unacceptable effects on animals fed on that grass, or on their meat or milk. PSD has now assessed additional information from the manufacturer that confirms that using manure which may contain residues of aminopyralid in ground used to grow vegetables does not have implications for human or animal health. Even if manure were derived from animals fed only grass, or silage made from grass treated with aminopyralid and plants took up all the aminopyralid present in that manure, the highest residues would not give rise to consumer health concerns and the vegetables should be safe to eat.

Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Waste and Resources Action Programme document, Management of green waste at civic amenity sites: a good practice guide.

Joan Ruddock: I am arranging for copies of the document requested to be placed in the Library of the House.

Licensing laws

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 22 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 1810-12W, on licensing, if he will publish an updated list of local authorities with a designated cumulative impact area as of 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department is currently collecting data on the number of cumulative impact areas on 31 March 2008 for the next statistical bulletin which we anticipate will be made publicly available in autumn 2008.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen in each year since 2001.

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many universal serial bus flash memory data storage devices used to store  (a) restricted,  (b) confidential,  (c) secret and  (d) top secret data have been lost by or stolen from his Department in each year since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: As a result of the recent theft of a laptop, the Ministry of Defence has initiated an investigation into the details of all lost or stolen electronic media since 2003. This investigation involves the collation and examination of reports from across the Department including final disposal action, where available. While every effort is being made to gather the information as quickly and accurately as possible, not all the details are presently available. In addition, it should be noted that details of such incidents were not collated centrally before 2003 and therefore will not be available.
	I will write to the hon. Members when the information has been collated and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	 Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Sarah Teather and Liam Fox:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 18 February 2008, (Official Report, column 95W) about universal serial bus (USB) flash memory data storage devices lost or stolen in each year since 2001. No centralised records were maintained before 2003 and it has therefore not been possible to provide the information for earlier years. The figures below continue to be adjusted as a result of additional thefts and losses along with subsequent clarification of historic incidents. As a result of the investigation into details of electronic media lost/stolen since 2003 which I announced on 31 March 2008, (Official Report, column 517W), details on the number of USB data storage devices reported as lost or stolen from the Department since 2003 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Unclassified/none  Restricted  Confidential  Secret  Top secret  Not determined  Total 
			  2003
			 Loss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stolen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			  2004
			 Loss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stolen 24 1 0 0 0 2 27 
			 
			  2005
			 Loss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stolen 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 
			 
			  2006
			 Loss 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 
			 Stolen 2 52 0 0 0 2 56 
			 
			  2007
			 Loss 0 6 0 1 0 0 7 
			 Stolen 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			 
			  2008(1)
			 Loss 1 19 0 3 0 0 23 
			 Stolen 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 
			 (1) Up to 25 June 2008. 
		
	
	In some instances it has not been possible to determine the level of Protective Marking (classification) as it was not established when the incident was reported.

Departmental Freedom of Information

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many freedom of information requests the Cabinet Office received in 2007-08; what each request was for; and what action has been taken on each.

Edward Miliband: Statistical Information on the requests received by the Cabinet Office in 2007 is available in the Ministry of Justice's third annual report on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act in central Government. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the Ministry of Justice's website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/foi-report-2007-final-web.pdf
	Information on the requests received by the department in 2008 will be published in the Ministry of Justice's fourth annual report. Information about the detail of individual requests and the action taken could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Victims

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps the Government has taken to work with the third sector when supporting victims of crime.

Maria Eagle: Following a recent public consultation, the Ministry of Justice has published a Third Sector Strategy which sets out the Department's commitment to working with the Third Sector.
	Victim Support, an independent charity, is the Government's main provider of services to victims and witnesses of crime across England and Wales. Over recent years annual Government funding to Victim Support has increased from £11.7 million to £30 million. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR) has provided additional investment in Victim Support to rollout Victim Support Plus nationally (£5.6 million in 2007-08 and £7 million in 2008-09).
	In addition, the Government funds a number of specialist services for victims of individual crime types. The charity Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) receives a grant of £140,000 a year to provide services to family and friends bereaved through murder and manslaughter.
	Over the last four years, we have invested £6.5 million in specialist services for victims through the Victims Fund, with the majority going directly to Third Sector organisations. In 2008-09 a further £1.75 million has been invested into the fund. Specialist services that receive funding through the Victims Fund provide support to victims of sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse, hate crime and homicide.
	Since 2003 the Government have worked in partnership with Eaves Housing for Women to deliver bespoke specialist services for women trafficked into sexual exploitation, through the Poppy project. We are investing a further £1.3 million into the project this year, taking the total to £5.8 million since it opened.
	In 2007-08 the Government provided £3 million for Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs), trained specialists who provide a service to victims who are at high risk of harm, to support victims as their cases progress through Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs).
	The Youth Crime Action Plan, published on 15 July 2008 will include proposals to support young victims of crime.

Offensive Weapons: Young Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1620W, on offensive weapons: young people, what sentence was imposed in each case in each year; and, where fines were imposed, what the  (a) smallest,  (b) largest and  (c) average fine imposed was in each year.

Jack Straw: Statistics on the number of persons sentenced for the offence of selling knives to persons under 18 by result is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  by result for the offence of selling a knife to a person under 18 years, all courts, England and Wales, 2002-06 
			  Number of persons 
			  Offence description  Year  Total  proceeded against( 2)  Absolute/ conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Fully suspended sentence  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with 
			 Selling to a person under the age of 18 years a knife, knife blade, razor blade, axe or any other article which has a blade, that is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person 2002 4 — 3 — — — — 
			  2003 9 2 6 — — — 1 
			  2004 6 2 2 — — — 1 
			  2005 19 1 18 — — — — 
			  2006 43 5 27 1 — — 2 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Will include cases that were withdrawn or dismissed.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services 
		
	
	Statistics on the numbers fined by amount of fine is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of persons given fines by amount for the offence of selling a knife to a person under 18 years, all courts, England and Wales, 2002-06 
			  Number of persons 
			  Offence description  Year  Over £50  and  up to £100  Over £100  and  up to £150  Over £150  and up to £200  Over £200  and up to £250  Over £250  and  up to £300  Over £300  and  up to £500  Over £500  and  up to £750  Over £750  and  up to £1000  Over £1000 
			 Selling to a person under the age of 18 years a knife, knife blade, razor blade, axe or any other article which has a blade, that is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person 2002 1 — — — — — — 1 1 
			  2003 2 — — — — 2 — 1 1 
			  2004 — — 1 — — 1 — — — 
			  2005 2 1 — 1 2 6 3 1 2 
			  2006 6 2 6 — 4 5 1 2 1 
			  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services

Prisoners: Mental Health Services

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements there are to provide therapeutic services for prisoners with mental health problems whose first language is not English.

Maria Eagle: Psychological therapies are commissioned by primary care trusts (PCTs). When commissioning these services for prisoners, PCTs will assess the needs of their population and as with all other health provision, consideration will be given as to how services will be delivered to meet the needs of all including those with mental health problems whose first language is not English. This will be determined locally as part of a PCT's commissioning responsibility.

Departmental Sick Leave

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days have been lost due to sickness among employees for which his Department and its predecessor were responsible for each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was created in July 2001. The figures prior to this date relate to absence levels in the Department of Social Security (DSS) Group, the main predecessor to the DWP.
	The available information is contained in the following table. The source of the information is the Cabinet Office's annual report titled 'Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service'. Working days lost (WDL) due to sickness is available only for 2005, 2006 and 2007. We have therefore provided the average working days lost per staff year for each of the years from 1997 to 2007.
	
		
			   Total working days lost (WDL)  Average working days lost (AWDL) 
			 2007 1,094,018 10.3 
			 2006-07(1) 1,361,196 11.1 
			 2005 1,233,162 10.1 
			 2004 — 9.6 
			 2003 — 11.6 
			 2002 — 10.8 
			 2001 — 11.1 
			 2000 — 11.0(2) 
			 1999 — 10.9(2) 
			 1998 — 10.8(2) 
			 1997 — 12.2(2) 
			 (1) Financial year 2006-07 all other years figures are shown in calendar years. (2) DSS Group only.

Income Support: Lone Parents

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of lone parents that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2008 have a child for whom they are receiving disability living allowance; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of lone parents that will be affected by the changes to the eligibility criteria for income support taking effect in October 2008 are in  (a) part-time employment,  (b) unemployed and  (c) in education or training; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.
	Information is available on the number of lone parents receiving income support at August 2007 who at that date had a youngest child aged 12 or over and who had a child for whom they were receiving disability living allowance.
	Information is available on the number of lone parents receiving income support at November 2007 who at that date had a youngest child aged 12 or over and who were either receiving earnings from part time employment or no part time earnings from employment.
	That information is in the tables.
	No information is available on the numbers of lone parents with a youngest child aged 12 or over who were in education or training.
	Some lone parents are exempt from these changes and will still be able to receive IS. These include lone parents who:
	Are in receipt of carer's allowance
	Have a child who they are receiving the middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance for;
	Are fostering
	
		
			  L one parents receiving income support at August 2007 who had a youngest child aged 12 or over at that date and who had a child for whom they were receiving disability living allowance 
			  Number 
			 All 113,100 
			 Not in receipt of DLA for a child 103,600 
			 In receipt of DLA for a child 9,500 
			 Proportion in receipt of DLA for a child (Percentage) 8.4 
			  Note: 1. 5 per cent. sample figures are uprated to 100 per cent. WPLS totals and rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample 
		
	
	
		
			  L one parents receiving income support at November 2007 who had a youngest child aged 12 or over at that date and who were receiving earnings from part-time employment 
			   Number 
			 All 102,340 
			 No part-time earnings 94,430 
			 Part-time earnings 7,910 
			 Proportion with part-time earnings (Percentage) 7.7 
			  Note: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS

Poverty

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of  (a) children,  (b) pensioners and  (c) working age adults were in poverty in each English region in (i) 1990, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2007.

Stephen Timms: Specific information regarding low income for the UK is available in "Households Below Average Income 1994/95 to 2006/07". This annual report, which is a National Statistics publication, includes the number and proportion of individuals, children, working age adults and pensioners with incomes below 50 per cent., 60 per cent. and 70 per cent. of median income, and the proportions in persistent poverty.
	Regional data is presented as three-year averages, due to variability in single-year estimates. Regional data is only available on a consistent basis from 1994-95. A time series showing the proportion of children and pensioners in households with household incomes less than 60 per cent. of median including the periods requested are shown in table 4.14ts for children and table 6.8ts for pensioners of the "Households Below Average Income 1994/95 to 2006/07", a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	Information for working age adults for years where data is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of working age adults in poverty in each English region in 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and 2004-05 to 2006-07, three-year average 
			Percentage of working age adults below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income 
			  Region  Period  Before housing costs  After housing costs 
			 North East 1997-98 to 1999-2000 21 26 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 18 22 
			 
			 North West 1997-98 to 1999-2000 17 22 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 17 21 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1997-98 to 1999-2000 18 22 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 16 20 
			 
			 East Midlands 1997-98 to 1999-2000 15 18 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 16 20 
			 
			 West Midlands 1997-98 to 1999-2000 14 18 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 18 22 
			 
			 East of England 1997-98 to 1999-2000 11 15 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 12 17 
			 
			 London 1997-98 to 1999-2000 15 24 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 15 24 
			 
			 South East 1997-98 to 1999-2000 10 15 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 11 16 
			 
			 South West 1997-98 to 1999-2000 14 19 
			  2004-05 to 2006-07 12 18 
			  Notes: 1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income data. 2. Small changes should be treated with caution as these will be affected by sampling error and variability in non-response. 3. The reference period for Households Below Average Income figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined as regional single year estimates are subject to volatility. 4. Regional data is only available on a consistent basis from 1994-95, so no results are available for 1990. 5. The income measures used to derive the estimates shown employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication "Households Below Average Income" series, which uses disposable household income, adjusted (or 'equivalised') for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. 6. The figures are based on OECD equivalisation factors. 7. Figures have been presented on both a before housing cost and after housing cost basis. For before housing cost, housing costs (such as rent, water rates, mortgage interest payments, structural insurance payments and ground rent and service charges) are not deducted from income, while for after housing cost they are. 8. Proportions of working age adults in low-income households have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.  Source: Households Below Average Income, DWP.

Departmental Sick Leave

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many sick days were taken by employees in  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of sick days taken this represented in each case; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many staff in  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have taken sick days due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of staff of each body this represented in each year; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what the average duration of single periods of sick leave taken by staff in  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility who gave (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders as the reason for their absence was in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many staff in  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have received sick pay for sick leave due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what the average length of time was for which sick pay was paid in these cases; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Department for Communities and Local Government and its agencies can be found on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp
	All three illnesses are grouped together as 'Mental and Behavioural Disorders'.
	Data for 2007-08 is not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2004 data are not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many staff in her Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of staff in her Department have had more than two periods of sickness absence of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Parmjit Dhanda: Information on sickness absence for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Department for Communities and Local Government can be found on the civil service website:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp.
	Data for 2007-08 is not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2004 data is not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Interreg Programme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1636W, on the Interreg Programme, whether bodies set up under the provisions of European Grouping of Territorial Co-operation Regulations 2007, with a registered office in the United Kingdom, will be a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

John Healey: For the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act, bodies with a registered office in the United Kingdom set up under the provisions of the European Grouping of Territorial Co-operation Regulations 2007 are not designated as a public authority.

Local Government Finance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the effects of oil price changes on local authority costs.

John Healey: The Government have given local government with the stability and certainty it asked for, in providing a three-year financial settlement for the period from 2008-09 to 2010-11. We have continued to provide real terms increases in funding for local government, with overall Government grant increasing by an annual average of 1.5 per cent. up to 2010-11. It is for local authorities, as for other organisations, to assess and manage in-year pressures on their budgets such as increases in fuel prices.

Local Government: Elections

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average turn out for local council elections in Halifax has been since 1988.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 1988, the average voter turnout for the Calderdale council wards falling wholly or mostly within the Halifax parliamentary constituency has been 36.62 per cent. Averages by year are:-
	
		
			   Average voter turnout 
			 1988 35.81 
			 1990 45.46 
			 1991 41.37 
			 1992 36.26 
			 1994 40.72 
			 1995 36.05 
			 1996 32.55 
			 1998 30.00 
			 1999 29.06 
			 2000 26.85 
			 2002 30.65 
			 2003 38.27 
			 2004 49.96 
			 2006 37.81 
			 2007 37.53 
			 2008 37.57 
		
	
	The Wards concerned are:-
	 1998 to 2003 election
	Illingworth
	Mixenden
	Northowram and Shelf
	Ovenden
	St. John's
	Skircoat
	Sowerby Bridge
	Town
	Warley
	 2004 elections to present
	Illingworth and Mixenden
	Northowram and Shelf
	Ovenden
	Park
	Skircoat
	Sowerby Bridge
	Town
	Warley
	Ward boundary changes took effect on 1 December 2003.

Maps: Databases

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what geo-spatial and geo-demographic data from her Department's Maps on Tap database is used by the Valuation Office Agency.

John Healey: None. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 789W.

Children: Disabled

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to assist schools with disabled pupils.

Kevin Brennan: In June 2006, we published the training resource "Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings" and made it available to all schools and local authorities. This was prepared with the Disability Rights Commission, and provides schools and LAs with practical tools to improve their effectiveness. It helps them to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, and it also helps them to review and revise their accessibility plans. These show how schools will increase access for disabled pupils to school premises and facilities, to the curriculum, and to information in alternative formats. A series of regional conferences was organised to publicise and disseminate the resource.
	In 2007, we published additional guidance to support schools in implementing the disability equality duty and developing their disability equality scheme. This guidance is published as part of the same resource. It was also disseminated through a series of regional conferences.
	We have also assisted schools to address bullying against disabled children and those with special educational needs by publishing "Bullying Involving Children with Special Educational Needs and Disability", on 15 May 2008.

Children: Poverty

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were in poverty in  (a) Leeds West,  (b) Leeds Metropolitan District and  (c) the UK in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information, published in the Households Below Average Income series, is that there were 3.4 million children living in households in Great Britain with below 60 per cent. of median contemporary income Before Housing Costs in 1997/98; and there were 2.9 million such children in the United Kingdom in 2006/07. The Households Below Average Income Series cannot provide information below the level of Government office region.
	Work is currently under way to develop an indicator of child poverty at the local level that will measure the proportion of children in families living in poverty in both out of work and in work families. It is intended that this indicator will be used as the local area agreement child poverty indicator from April 2009 onwards.

Fish

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much fish was procured by his Department and at what cost in each of the last five years, broken down by species; and what amount and value of such fish met the Marine Stewardship Council standard in each such year, broken down by species.

Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families catering service is contracted out and the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

Pupil Referral Units: Truancy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils received  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent exclusions from pupil referral units in school year 2006-07;
	(2)  how many unauthorised absences there were of pupils in pupil referral units in  (a) 2004-05,  (b) 2005-06 and  (c) 2006-07
	(3)  what percentage of pupils in pupil referral units were classed as persistent truants in school year 2006-07.

Kevin Brennan: The requested information on exclusions from Pupil Referral Units in 2006-07 is not collected centrally. Information is available for the years 2004-03 and 2004-05 and this is shown in the following table,
	Information on absence from Pupil Referral Units for complete school years is not yet collected centrally, therefore no information is available on unauthorised absence or persistent absentees (pupils who are absent for more than 20 per cent. of possible sessions of attendance). Information for the 2007-08 school year will be collected in spring 2009; however this does not include information on persistent absentees. The Department does not maintain records of 'truancy', as authorised absence rates include lateness and unauthorised holidays during term time.
	
		
			  Pupil referral units: Number and percentage of exclusions 2003-04: England 
			   Permanent exclusions  Fixed period exclusions 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2003-04  2004-05 
			   Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1)  Number  Percentage( 1) 
			 England(2) 30 0.26 40 0.28 5,780 44.34 7,630 52.75 
			 (1 )The number of exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils in Pupil Referral Units. (2) National figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Termly exclusions survey.

Young People: Unemployment

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what datasets his Department publishes which include information on the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training; and what the expected date of next publication of each set of data is.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's principal estimates of the number of young people of academic age 16 to 18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) are based on data from a range of administrative sources and the Labour Force Survey (LFS), and are published annually in a Statistical First Release each June. The most recent publication can be found via the following link: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000792/index.shtml. This data is used to measure the Department's target to reduce the number of young people NEET by 2 percentage points by 2010 (from a baseline of 9.6 per cent. at end 2004).
	NEET estimates based solely on the LFS are published by the Department quarterly following the release of each LFS Quarterly dataset. They are published in the NEET Quarterly Brief, available on the Department's Research and Statistics Gateway. As a sample survey, LFS estimates of NEET are subject to sampling error, and these estimates are not as accurate as the official measure outlined above. However, they allow monitoring of in-year trends in the numbers of young people NEET.
	The Department publishes figures on young people NEET from the Youth Cohort Study (YCS). For the first time, in 2008, these published statistics also used data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE). Both of these sources are sample surveys, and provide information on young people from a single cohort rather than across the 16 to 18 age range. While the estimates of NEET produced from these sources are not accurate as the SFR measure, they are useful in providing breakdowns of NEET by characteristics and background. The next publication date for these combined data will be announced in the schedule of publications to be issued in March 2009.
	Connexions services also collect information on young people known to them to be NEET. Connexions data on the number and proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET in each local authority are made publicly available on the DCSF website. Figures for the end of each year are made available by April of the following year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many reviews of regulation  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have conducted or commenced since its establishment; and in which areas.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created one year ago. Since then, DIUS, the National Weights and Measures Laboratory and the Intellectual Property Office have reviewed six policy areas, which resulted in 18 amended or consolidated pieces of regulation.
	Number of statutory instruments fully or partially revoked as a result of these reviews could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Pupil Referral Units: Speech Therapy

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many speech and language therapists are employed in pupil referral units.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	Teachers and other staff with a variety of skills and experience working in pupil referral units cater for the diverse needs of children and young people educated in these settings. However, data on the number of staff employed specifically as speech and language therapists is not collected centrally.

Students: Loans

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the average time taken by graduates to pay off student loans following receipt of a salary of £15,000 per annum was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 15 July 2008
	Income contingent loans were introduced in 1998. Students only begin to repay their loan in the April after leaving university or college and their repayments begin when their income reaches the threshold of £15,000. Repayments are made through the UK tax system and for borrowers on PAYE employers make deductions at 9 per cent. of income above £15,000 threshold.
	Borrowers in receipt of a salary of £15,000 per annum do not make any repayments; and loan balances are written off after 25 years.
	Actual data on average time to repay income contingent loans is unavailable for most income contingent loan borrowers, because most have yet to complete repayment. We estimate that a student who entered higher education in 2006/07 will take an average of around 13 years to repay their student loan. The repayment period is counted from the April following the year of graduation. The calculation is based on assumptions about lifetime graduate earnings, derived from the British Household Panel Survey and the Labour Force Survey. The calculation takes account of gender, age and periods spent unemployed or inactive for other reasons.

G8 Summit

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the outcome for development policy of the G8 summit was.

Gareth Thomas: Last week's summit reiterated G8 commitment to delivering: $50 billion in extra aid by 2010, ($25 billion to Africa); $4 billion in 'Aid for Trade' and universal access to HIV/AIDs treatment by 2010. The G8 has also pledged over $10 billion for food security; $60 billion over five years for health; 1.5 million more health workers, 100 million bednets by 2010; and $1 billion for the education Fast Track Initiative.

Africa: Sanitation

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effect of recent energy and fuel price rises on levels of spending required between 2008 and 2015 to reach the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals in  (a) Ethiopia,  (b) Somalia,  (c) Eritrea and  (d) Gambia; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The link between energy and fuel price rises on the one hand, and the levels of spending required between 2008 and 2015 to reach the water and sanitation millennium development goals on the other, is complex.
	Nevertheless, it is clear that fuel prices will increase the costs of MDG delivery and may reduce the availability of Government resources to meet these costs.
	DFID monitors the progress of countries towards achievement of the MDGs, however, we do not have data on Gambia and Somalia. Ethiopia and Eritrea are both "off track" to achieving the MDGs on sanitation, Eritrea is considered to be "on track" for the Water MDG, however, Ethiopia is "off track".
	DFID is providing support for the achievement of water and sanitation MDGs, including some programmes in the countries listed. In Ethiopia, first transfer of our £75 million investment to support the Government's Universal Access program has been made. This will support investments in rural and urban water supply and sanitation. In Eritrea, we have recently agreed a £6 million rural water and sanitation project with UNICEF. In 2006-07 DFID spent £8 million on humanitarian activities in Somalia, a proportion of which went towards projects with water components.

Economic Growth

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of likely economic growth in  (a) India,  (b) China,  (c) Brazil and  (d) Venezuela in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not perform its own growth forecasting. To inform its policies, DFID relies upon the economic analysis of the international financial institutions, especially the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 2008 IMF World Economic Outlook report has the following projections:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			  (a) India  
			 2008 7.9 
			 2009 8.0 
			 2010 8.0 
			 2011 8.0 
			   
			  (b) China  
			 2008 9.3 
			 2009 9.5 
			 2010 10.5 
			 2011 10.0 
			   
			  (c) Brazil  
			 2008 4.8 
			 2009 3.7 
			 2010 4.5 
			 2011 4.0 
			   
			  (d) Venezuela  
			 2008 5.8 
			 2009 3.5 
			 2010 2.2 
			 2011 2.2 
		
	
	These figures represent the estimated annual percent change of each country's gross domestic product. I have provided projections from 2008 to 2011 because the IMF reports by calendar year rather than UK financial year.

Chiropody

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS chiropody provision.

Ann Keen: No assessment has been carried out centrally. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with local stakeholders, including practice based commissioners, local Government and the public to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly.

Cycling

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) his Department and  (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies provide (i) tax-free benefits and (ii) other allowances for their staff to purchase bicycles under the Cycle to Work scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is currently putting in place a cycle to work scheme for its employees. The scheme will support employees in taking greener journeys, by enabling the Department to loan a cycle to an employee, for between 12 to 18 months. The same tax rules apply to benefits in kind provided to employees of Government departments as to any other employee. The Minister will be writing in the near future, to the non-departmental public bodies which are not in the scheme, to remind them of the scheme and positively encourage their participation.
	The following table shows the current situation in each of the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	
		
			  Executive  a gency  Tax-free benefits  Other allowances 
			 Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency No No 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency No No 
			
			  Executive non-departmental public bodies (ENDPBs)   
			 Appointments Commission No No 
			 Commission for Social Care Inspection No No 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence No No 
			 General Social Care Council No No 
			 Health Protection Agency No No 
			 Healthcare Commission Yes No 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Yes No 
			 Human Tissue Authority No No 
			 Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts Yes No 
			 National Institute for Biological Standards and Control No No 
			 Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board No No 
			
			  Special Health Authorities   
			 Information Centre for health and social care Currently covers part of the organisation. Shortly to cover fully. No 
			 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Yes No 
			 National Patient Safety Agency Yes (in planning stage) No 
			 National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse No No 
			 NHS Blood and Transplant No No 
			 NHS Business Services Authority No No 
			 NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement No No 
			 NHS Litigation Authority No No 
			 NHS Professionals No No 
			 Mental Health Act Commission No No

Dental Services: Hampshire

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Hampshire residents in each local authority area have accessed NHS dental treatment in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Information is not available in the format requested.
	Under the old dental contractual arrangements, in place up to and including 31 March 2006, the number of patients registered with a national health service dentist was the measure used to monitor access to primary care dental services. However, registration information is not equivalent to the number of patients who accessed an NHS dentist, which is the measure used under the new dental contractual arrangements introduced in April 2006.
	The numbers of patients registered with an NHS dentist as at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex A of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". Information is provided by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT).
	This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published in August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	Under the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced in April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24-month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	Information on the numbers of patients seen by an NHS dentist in England, over the previous 24-month period, is available in Table CI of Annex 3 of the "NHS Dental Statistics for England: Quarter 3: 31 December 2007" report. Information is available for the 24 month periods ending 31 March 2006, 31 March 2007, 30 June 2007, 30 September 2007 and 31 December 2007. Information is provided at SHA and PCT level. This report, published in June 2008, has already been placed in the Library and on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0708q3.
	Information on registrations and patients seen is recorded according to the location of the dental surgery. Most patients will live within the PCT/SHA area in which they receive primary care dental services but some will attend a dentist further afield. Both the aforementioned reports have been published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Epilepsy: Health Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the effects of full implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on the treatment of epilepsy on mortality rates among those with the disease;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with epilepsy and prone to seizures who will become seizure-free when the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on epilepsy care are fully implemented.

Ann Keen: We have made no estimate of the effect of full implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the number of people who would be seizure-free, or on the mortality rate for those with epilepsy.
	NICE guidelines have the status of clinical guidelines for health professionals. It is the responsibility for health professionals to use their clinical judgment, in consultation with the individual patient, to decide on the most appropriate treatment options taking into account all relevant guidelines.

Fluoride

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the health effects of fluoridation of public water supplies in the last three years;
	(2)  what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects on children's health of the fluoridation of public water supplies in the last three years;
	(3)  what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the relationship between fluoride and the incidence of (i) bone cancer, (ii) thyroid gland complaints and (iii) brain disorders in the last three years.

Ann Keen: We continue to refer to key research reports commissioned since 1999. A "Systematic Review of Public Water Fluoridation" published by the University of York in 2000 found no significant association between, water fluoridation and goitre, bone disease or any other systemic illness, but called for further research to strengthen the evidence base. "Water Fluoridation and Health" published by the Medical Research Council in 2002 endorsed the University of York's recommendations and suggested priorities for further research. Copies of both reports are available in the Library. Accordingly, the Department commissioned the University of Newcastle upon Tyne to investigate the bio-availability (absorption of fluoride. The report the "Bioavailability of Fluoride in Drinking Water", a Human Experimental Study published in 2004 showed no statistically significant differences between absorption of fluoride from naturally fluoridated and artificially fluoridated water. Copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library.
	Evidence to date shows that dental fluorosis in a minority of children remains the only proven effect of the fluoridation of water, besides protection against tooth decay. Dental fluorosis is characterised by a flecking, or more rarely a mottling, of teeth, often only visible when teeth are dried. We are supporting research into the assessment of fluorosis using intra-oral cameras. If, as we expect, it shows that the measurement of dental fluorosis can be standardised, we will undertake a further study of its prevalence and aesthetic impact.

NHS Cord Blood Bank

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much of the NHS blood and transplant budget for 2008-09 is allocated to the NHS Cord Blood Bank for  (a) donation,  (b) collection,  (c) storage and  (d) provision of cord blood units for clinical use;
	(2)  what physical capacity the NHS Cord Blood Bank has to  (a) store and  (b) process collected units of cord blood.

Dawn Primarolo: NHS Blood and Transplant has allocated the following budget for 2008-09 to the NHS Cord Blood Bank:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Donation and collection 1,255,000 
			 Storage of cord blood units 510,000 
			 Provision of cord blood units for clinical use 300,000 
		
	
	Currently, the NHS Cord Blood Bank has more than 11,000 cord blood units banked over three sites in Edgware, Bishops Stortford and Cambridge. New, single site facilities at Filton, near Bristol, will allow 2,000 units per year to be processed and stored with the aim to have 20,000 clinical grade cord blood units banked by 2013.

NHS: Anniversaries

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts put on special events to mark the 60th anniversary of the NHS; and at what cost in each case.

Ann Keen: Local events and activities to mark the 60th anniversary of the national health service were organised by NHS trusts locally, these costs are not held centrally.

Pain

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is to be included in the forthcoming NHS Next Stage Review report on the management of chronic pain in  (a) primary care,  (b) secondary care and  (c) tertiary care settings.

Ann Keen: The NHS Next Stage Review final report, 'High Quality Care for All' was published on 30 June, copies of this publication have already been placed in the Library. The review, led by two thousand frontline clinicians and staff across each strategic health authority in England, examined services across eight 'pathways of care', including long-term conditions. The report responds to the challenges identified locally to deliver the improvements to the wider system that will enable these local priorities to be met most effectively.
	The report sets out a series of proposals to improve patients' experience of the care they receive. These include:
	giving patients even greater influence over the services they use by guaranteeing choice and access to the most clinically and cost-effective drugs and treatments;
	making health care more personal by ensuring that everyone with a long-term condition has their own personalised care plan and by piloting personal health budgets;
	a new right to the latest drugs approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and the speeding up of the process to look at new drugs and treatments; and
	measuring quality right across the service and publishing that information for the first time, so that both staff and patients can work together to make the best decisions about treatment.

Primary Care Trusts: Equality

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which primary care trusts have completed a local equality impact assessment; and whether those assessments are centrally collated;
	(2)  what requirements there are on primary care trusts to conduct local equality impact assessments; and whether those assessments are required to cover cancer services.

Ivan Lewis: All primary care trusts (PCTs) have a duty to undertake and publish equality impact assessments (EqIAs). These are not centrally collected by the Department. However, the Healthcare Commission has conducted audits of national health service trusts to look at whether trusts have published the required information. Each PCT is required under the equality legislation to equality impact assess their functions, policies, strategies and procedures. The Healthcare Commission when inspecting PCTs will assess the quality of the EqIA which will go towards their annual rating.
	The "Cancer Reform Strategy" was published in December 2007 and has an equality impact assessment which highlights the strategic equality issues regarding cancer which are there to inform PCTs of the issues they should take in due regard when commissioning their own cancer services. Copies of the strategy have already been placed in the Library.

Sight Impaired: Children

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged  (a) less than six,  (b) six to 10 and  (c) 11 to 16 years old have been prescribed glasses in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The Department does not collect statistics broken down by the age groups requested. The following table shows the numbers of national health service optical vouchers paid for by the NHS in England for persons aged under 16 and 16-18 in full-time education.
	
		
			  Numbers of spectacles for which vouchers were reimbursed 
			   0-15 (Children)  16-18 (Students) 
			 2002-03 992,220 252,720 
			 2003-04 1,022,960 233,530 
			 2004-05 997,768 236,065 
			 2005-06 996,535 244,534 
			 2006-07 1,011,619 257,918 
		
	
	The data is published by The Information Centre for health and social care in the General "Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England and Wales", copies of these publication have already been placed in the Library.
	All figures are the total number of NHS optical vouchers and do not take into account individuals who may have received more than one NHS optical voucher.